NBA Championship Futures March 2012

As we get closer to the playoffs let’s take a closer look at Bovada‘s NBA Championship Futures.

The Miami Heat are still the big favorite at +145 and they seem to be on a collision course with the next favorite team out of the Western Conference, the Thunder at +450. We’ve said before that these two teams could be the modern day equivalent of the Celtics and Lakers in the 80s and I really hope that we can see a seven game series between them. This is the most exciting time to be an NBA fan as the depth of talent in the league is finally starting to pay off and the Thunder/Heat could be the culmination of that. The beginning of a whole new era, really.

The Lakers have seen their stock drop quite a bit down to +1400 and that is the effect of going from Phil Jackson to Mike Brown while your whole team gets older in a nutshell. Andrew Bynum is just a constant injury risk and he is a big part of what they do. While the Lakers are always going to be a tough team, their window may be rapidly closing as the younger teams of the NBA start to take their place.

The same could probably be said about the San Antonio Spurs, but they just don’t seem to want to go anywhere. At +1800 they are unlikely to win the championship, but they will definitely be a factor in the playoffs and the Thunder will have a hard time getting through them on their way to the Finals. While OKC has the young talent and more of it, San Antonio far out paces them when it comes to coaching and you just can’t deny the effect that has in a seven game series. I’d love to see that series happen and it would be a good gauge of where the Thunder are at in terms of championship contention.

Right in the thick of things is the Chicago Bulls at +450, the non-Thunder/non-Heat favorite to win the championship. This team is just tough on defense and they are not afraid of anyone. While the Heat have the Big 3, the Bulls make up with that in depth and straight up bullying. This is an all-time great defensive team and that can take you really far in the playoffs. Will it be enough to beat the Heat? It could be, but I’d feel a lot better about taking Chicago if something happened to one of the big three. If they’re all healthy, they remain the favorite.